Vehicle-wheel.



A. P1. WEAVER. ,VEHIGLB WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.11, 1911.

1 81 ,41 6; Patented Dec; 16, 1913.

j/av Wayen parts which will be more fully arns earner on ALLEN-R. wnavnnor nArEsvILns, ARKANSAS.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

1,081,;Lifi. r

Original application filed February 17,

Specification of wa Patent. .y t t ipe 15,1913,

To all whom z'timay concern:

Be it known that l, ALLL'N citizeivof the United States, residing atBatesville, in the county of independence and State of Arkansas haveinvented'certain new and useful Improvements in Veh1- of which thefollowing 18 a specicle-lVheels, tication, reference'being had thereinto. the accompanying drawing. a

Tlhis inventon relates to an inflating or pumping mechanism forresilient or pneumatic wheels of that type embodying. a plhrality ofinterconnected cylinder CllSlllOllll'lg'IliCflTlS spaced around anddisposed between. the inner and outer relatively.

movable sections of thewheel, a wheel of this type being d sclosed in mypending ap plication for Letters Patent of the United .States, SerialNo. 544,386, of whichthis a plication is H a division. y

he invention has forits primary object to provide a simple, ettecti'vepumping or inflating mechanism which is. designed for use in connectionwith a wheel of the type referred to, although it may used for otherpneumatic wheels or'devices where fluid under pressure 1s to be main--ivillappear as the description proceedsfthe eainvention comprisesthevarious novel titres of construction and arrangement of describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in theclaims appendedhereto. 1

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment ofth-eIIWQHtiOII, Figure 1 is a side-elevation of the'wheel with v portionsbroken away to illustrate the details ofcon'striictio'n. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail sectional view on line 2-'2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atransverse section on line 3-'-3, Fig. 9. Fig. 4 is a detail view of amodification or the air inlet ports oftheinfiating means.

R. WE VER,. EI

and piston and novel th-e wheel; The

out the views Referring to the inner section or.

body ofthe wheel, and

B, jthe outcry-section thereof, the inner section consistingpreferably,-- although not 'ne;essarily, ota hub 1, spokes "2; and acircumferential ring or rim 3 fastened to. the spokes.'- The outer sectionB is in-the form ring 4 which has an internal diameter somewhat largeran eccentric relation, wardlyextending annular flanges 5 and 6 which areof such radial "dimensions as to overlie the opposite sides of thejringf the inner section of the wheel that the two sectionsare maintained inacommon plane and prevented from axial displacement,-and it willbeunderstood that the circumferential portion of portion of a fiat ring7 removablysecured to the annulusor 'body t of the tire section B'bybolts 8 so as to enable thesections of the wheel to be assembled ordisassembled. Covering thejgapbetween the two flanges is 'a fiexiblegaiardnr apron 9 that extends across the inner surface of the ring 3 ofthe inner section, said to receive the spokes 2. In thismanner, the.apron effectively excludes dust on dirt from entering between thesections of the wheel and causing excessive wear of the movable parts.The pneumatiocushioning means between the two sections of the wheelscomprises a piston and cylinder pneumatic around the -wheel. Theseplurality of devices spaced devices comprise cylinders 11 formedradially in the ring 4 of the tire section of thewheel,- which ring" ispreferably of metal and in these cylinders are pi tons 12 that havestems 13 that extend inwardly to'bear against the periphery of the innersection of inner ends of the cylinders are tapped to receive bushingrings 14 through which the piston stems-slide, thefor limiting the said.rings forming stops inward movement-0f the pistons and these bushingrings are so adjusted and thegstems of the pistons --are of suchlengththat when the two sections of the wheel are in concen ytricrelation; the pistons 12 will hear against the drawin A designates thanthe diameter of the inner section-so that the two sections can assumeThe section 4: has inthe inner section slides freely be tween theflanges 5 and 6. The flange (Sis a apron having openings '10 1910,Serial No. 544,386. Divided and this'aiiplication filed-october 11,1911.Serial ar 654,071.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughan annular body consistingof a tire or wardly or outwardlywhile the upper portion of the inner section A of the wheel will beoutof contactwith the stems of the pistons at the top of the wheel. Thecylinders 11 are preferably interconnected by passages 15 in the outersection B so that in all the cylinders there will be substantially thesame air pressure and itis the air acting under the pistons at thebottom of the wheel that sustains the load and insures the requiredresiliency. I

One or more of the pistons 13 may be provided with 'a pump or inflatingmechanism whereby the required pressure may be maintained in the airchamber of the wheel. This pumping or inflating mechanism is clearlyshown in Fig. 2, wherein the piston 12 has a bore 16 passing through itand through its stem to form a cylinder for the pump plunger 17. Betweenthe air space 11 of the Wheel and the bore 16 is a check valve 17 which'opens and closesduring the reciprocation of the plunger 17, so that aircan pass into the air space 11 from the pump I cylinder 16. The plunger17 may be made with a bore or passage 18 for permitting the incoming airto enter the cylinder 16, there being a check valve.19 which opensduring the suction stroke and closes during the discharge stroke. Theplunger 17 is moved on its suction stroke or inward stroke with respectto the center of the wheel by means of a spring 20. seated in a recess21 in the bore 16 of the piston 1-2,-0ne end of .the spring bearingagainst a pin or other abutment 22 fastened to the plunger 17 saidspring being compressed during the discharge stroke of the plunger 17 soas to -be 'placed under tension for returning the plunger during thesuction stroke. The suction stroke of the plunger takesplace during thetime the nflating means 1s re volvingthrough the first upper quarter ofthe revolution of the wheel and the discharge stroke takes place as theinflating means revolves through the se'condupper quarter of therevolution. During the revolution of the inflating means, the pistonstem 13 is out of contact with the circumference ot'the inner section ofthe wheelbut the plunger 17 remains in contact with the saidcircumference because of the tension of tho spring 2O actin on theplunger. It will thus be-secn th 3 the pump plunger 17 moves back and.forth with respect to the piston stcm'13 once in each revol'ition of theWheel and that it IS idle during one half of each revolution and activeduring the other half ivhenit is necessary to supply air to the airspace of the Wheel to maintain the desired pressure. The inflating meansneed not be operative at all times but only when the pressure in the airchamber of the wheel falls below a'predetermined point. An automaticregulating means is provided for controlling the operation of theplunger 17 This regulating means comprises a pressureresponsive devicein the form of a piston, diaphragm or the like 23, set in a chamber orcylinder 24: in the piston 12 and seated on a compression spring 25. Thespring in turn is seated on a plate or disk 26 which bears against anadjusting rod or screw 27 that extends longitudinally through the stem13 of the piston and terminates in a head 28 which can be engaged by ascrew driver or other. implement for adjusting the rod so as to vary thetension of the'spring 25. Also extending through the stem 13 is a rod 29which bears at ,one end on the disk 26 and which is provided at theother end with a cam 30 that operates on alocking bolt or pin 31 that isslidably mounted in the stem 13 so as to engage in a recess 32 in theplunger 17, the said recess being so located that when the plunger ismoved into the piston stem 18 as far as it. will go, the pin or lockingbolt 31 can be shoved into the recess by the cam 30 when the cam isshifted by theactionof the pressure-responsive device at the time theair pressure in the wheelhas attained a point for which the spring 25 isset. The recess 82 is so shaped that the bolt or pin 31 cannotpositively lockv the piston after the. cam 30 moves out ofengagementwith the locking pin, as when the pressure in the air space of the wheelfalls to' such a point that air must be again sup plied by the inflatingor pumping means. The air may be supplied to the bore 18 of the plunger17 in any suitable manner, as for instance,.through a passage 33 formedin one of the spokes of the inner section of the wheel and the inlet endof this passage ispreferably prdvided with -means for preventing theentrance of dust or dirt, .such means consisting of an elbow-shapedinlet 'nozzle 34: swiveled or loosely hung in a nipple 35 fastened tothe spoke. In the modification shown in Fig. 4C, the passage 83 isdispensed'with and the end of the plunger that-contacts with-the innersection of the wheel has one br more notches 36, as shown in Fig; l, soas to form air inlet ports From the foregoing description, takeniirconnection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of theconstruction and of the method of operationwill be rear y apparcnt tothose skilled in the art to wl'aich the invention appertains, and whilel have described the principle of operation of the invention, togetherwith the device which I appended hereto.

1 Claim as new, is

' perts -on'e p.

Io-heck m lhetpiston by Chgck Valve carried by the plunger t parts; onepart having a ch21 tanning air under pressure, s

' valve between the piston ant.

"parts. of thex wheel and having a .bore through-which ("L1 :icheckvelvenarried by 'mit jail" thereto, and pressureresponsive assume an"eccentric rel sections, an air pump cy "bearing constantly against the.

for" reciprocation by. 25

end replenishing ger-Working in said v I leting piston carried by thecyhnder piston,

in'der piston. I

the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may hemade whende= sired are witl'nnxthe scope-'oftheclaufm Hu /inthusdoscribed the invention --wh at 1i i-wl'ieel comprising 'cl'ativelymovable 'li havinga elmmher for eon ruining air under pressure, a pistontherein hnvingn b'oreleeding into the ch re between the piston andchamber for admitting :ii-rl'troni the former to the latter plungeradapted to reciprocate in he relative movement of the said parts of. thewheel and lining a bore through which is admitted to the latter,

ill, air theretcn; Y I A wheel comprising relatively movable mber vforconiston therein having bore leading into it) chainber, a.

.h:imber. for edmittingjair from the former to the-latter, a plungeradapted to reciprocate inthe"piston hv the relative movement of thesaidr' is admitted to the latter,

for: interrupting .movement of the when the pressure in the chamber men-11s plunger ,re aehesfa prodeterminecljpoint. f

ii wheelcomprising an outer non dea formehle trezidfsectionynn innersection of smaller diameter to permit the sections to ation to eachother,- means between-the linder carried by tionsn piston. in thecylinder other section the. relative V changing eccentricity of thesections as "thewheel ro lg'l he combination-of gpnumatid re:silient=whel, with a "combined cushioning and air replenishing devicecomprising a cylinder, e pistonv movable therein rind provided with abore, a check-valve,for'sa id bore, a hollow plunger working insaidbore, a plunger valve wide -plunger retracting spring,

5. The silient wheel, with er pneumatic I cushion ng one of the seccombination of a pneumatic .re-

combined cushioning device comprising aston movable'therein and probore,an aircompressing plun-' bore; a pressureregucylinder, r; pi vldedwitli'a and plunger: locking means controlled by the'regulatingpistonrind carried by the'cylthe plunger. to 1d' here-and heving'afl I tothecyli'nder, and agoverning means for stud means being carried'wholly}amber, a

.silient wheel e1nbod'ying e eylindeij a piston movable therein andprovided with. a bore; an air compressingjplunger working in said borefor 'admittjinggair,

the plunger, by the piston and consisting of a pressure respensivepiston, n'hac'k spring forsaid pis ton, plunger locking means controlledby the pressure responsive piston, uncle-sores fer regulating thepressure of said spring.

Z. The combination of e pnenmat-icfre silient wheel, with apistonprovid'e dj with shore an air compressing plunger working in saidborer pressureresponsive piston, and plunger locking meanscontrolledatheieby, said means comprising e pin- 'sidapted'.t o movetransversely to the-plunger to engage and loci; the se ne; and a wedgemovable, parallel with the plunger"for-operating said. pin, said wedgebeingmoved bythe pressure responsivepiston; p 4 ,I s S. In a,structure-of the class described, the combination of a piston; havingya'here, 2i cylinderin Which-the piston reciprocntes a discharge valveinthehor e plunger mounted to reciprocate in the.bore.,-- a suction valve,

:1 locking. device for holding the plunger ting air to pass I to thecylinder Y sp onsive'mea ns' the piston toeng respon'slve means,

the devicepsaid wedge being'mounted in the piston. at"0ne sid 'e;o f theplunger and movable parallel with the latter,- and means respon'siye tothe ressure of fluid delivered into the cylinder-from the. saidhoreflfor con-r trolling the movement of the wedge.

*9. Ina structnre'of the class'descrihed, the combination-oi a pistonand cylinder cushioning device, the piston havinga bore, 'a plungermovablejn' the bore and adapted to.

extend from'one'en'd thereof, an'ielement to 105- be cushioned.arranged, to move into and out' of engagement with the piston and toengage the; plunger" for reciprocating the same, an inletj'v-alveforadmitting' :iir'vto the bore 'o'fthe piston n clischargevalveforpermit from the bore of the piston a device arranged to engage theplunger to hold the same against movement when 'fthe' V pres reaches apredetermined p0int','apressi1re re forcontrollingthe said device andan'adjusting device extendingthrough age andv adj'ustthe pressurethe'outer end of the said adjusting device being zit the outer endofsections and communicating with thesaid in contact with the othersection 'pressureof-the air on the cylinder.

6. The combination of a pneumatic reinner. section,

the piston,v .10. A wheel comprising an, outer and an 'an air cushioningmeans hecylinder in one (if "the tween them, a pump means for deliveringair thereto, and. a piston in-the cylinder. with its outer end held by t'11. A wheel com' risin an outer section a sureint-he cylinder an innersection, a cylinder in the outer section, a piston movable in thecylinder and adapted to engage the periphery of theinner section, meansfor limiting the movementof the piston toward the center of the wheelwhereby the piston is maintained out of Contact with the inner sectionduring aportion of a revolution of the wheel and an air replenishingpump carrier}. by'the piston and having an element constantly bearingagainst the periphery of the inner section.

12. A wheel having :1 peripheral portion including a piston and cylindercushion clevice, a pump plunger in the piston movable therewith and alsoindependently thereof,

and valves on the piston and plunger In testimony whereof I atlix mysignature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

ALLEN R. XVEEQVER.

Witnesses E. H. GLENN, H. A. STOWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

